[Norbert]

Lossless to a good soundcard can sound better than a cheap cd player. I'm not sure how it competes with some of the uber-expensive cdp's in the other source forum. Before going lossless with a usb dac or the Echo Indigo PC card all I had was a portable cd player, but it is a classic (somewhat) sought after Denon DCP-100. My computer arrangement certainly beats that. I still occasionally play it because it's a fun player.

 

[Jon L]

Quote:

Originally Posted by 5ergo Im not an audiophile though i do hear huge difference between mp3, lossless and my CD player. If i like a CD i simply buy it and listen to it on my CDP because it sounds even better than playing back lossless via foobar.I use dynaudio studio monitors for playback. I think its a waste of space to fill HD with lossless music and also if PC goes to hell you are still able to listen to CDs.

Well, clearly you are not comparing apples to apples b/c you are not comparing Foobar/Flac to CD played through the same playback chain (DAC and/or CDP). Are you comparing Flac played on a soundcard vs. CD played on a CDP (which one)?

 

[granodemostasa]

i do everything lossless, sadly i do hvae some music at 320. i didn't think i could tell the difference but when i went to the meet someone had the same in lossless. for a while i was convinced that my dac/amp combo was useless and that i wasted my money in comparison to that ipod/amp combo. then i switched amps and realized that what was happening was that i had lost info on the sound...lesson?... so do everything in lossless.

 

[RockinOut]

Quote:

Originally Posted by miTunes75 rip your cds to your computer for your listening pleasure? Anyone??? Just curious. I have a sharp ear for hearing flaws in song compression, etc... I have yet to find anything as good as the original cd playing I have, for the longest time, been using mp3 format encoded with LAME ~320 VBR. I am purchasing a mac this summer and am strongly considering encoding everything in apple lossless. Opinions / Options?

I really like Apple Lossless. WMA lossless sounds good too.

To my ears I can tell the difference.

For lossy, I really like 128-192k WMA. It's the most acceptable lossy to my ears.

Only problem is I can't stand Microsoft anymore, and I love Apple now.

I do have a lot of 128K MP3 streamed recordings for the sake of compatability and time saving but but Ican't stand the artifacts of any type of MP3: crappy bass, shrill highs, and soundstage sounds like a recording done in a bathroom (echo, hollow). That's my ears and my AB testing and my preference. It's all a balancing act between file size vs. quality vs. compatability.

One thing I must add, I listen to 128k MP3 radio streams a lot. A quality rig, especially upgraded DAC, and a little (Xin) bass boost (dance/trance) makes the music much better despite the lossy format and bad recording.

Computer as source is nice: so flexible.

I'm a total minimalist. I've been wanting to rip and toss out all my CD's for years. But I won't ever do it because technology and formats do change. I should know.

My two pence.

 

[]|[ GorE]

224 Kbps is undistinguishable from the original cd for me.

 

[cmirza]

LAME 3.97b2 VBR
-V2 (for the majority of my music)
-V1 (for metal or any other music where a few extra bits of data might be worth it)

I haven't been able to tell the difference between this format and CD yet. It may be possible with sensitive enough gear.

If you do feel that you hear the flaws (be it placebo or not) just go for lossless. FLAC would be my first choice with its wide support. Apple Lossless would be fine if you want the convenience of iTunes.

The thing about lossless formats is that they are still constantly evolving. Chips are constantly getting more powerful and algorithms more sophisticated alowing you to store more data in less space. As long as your music is lossless lets you conveniently move your music to the latest lossless format without the hassle of ripping all your CDs over again.

I think a PC is the perfect transport for audio and I see little reason to use a stand alone cd player anymore. As long as your PC is configured properly (lossless files ripped in secure mode, a quality sound card that doesn't resample and doesn't have major jitter problems, etc...) a PC now has the capability to be a true audiophile device.

 

[fewtch]

Quote:

Originally Posted by cmirza I think a PC is the perfect transport for audio and I see little reason to use a stand alone cd player anymore.

How about just wanting to turn off and get away from computers while listening to music... it's as simple as that to me, really. That's why I dropped out of the "PC as transport" crowd.

I wanted to separate music listening as an activity from using computers, because inevitably I will get distracted by something happening on a PC and the music turns into a background activity, resulting in much less enjoyment. And it was worth it to me to go back to the "inconvenience" of CDs, which turned out to be no great inconvenience in the end.

 

[majid]

Lossless is necessary, but not sufficient. You also need a good secure ripper like EAC on Windows, cdparanoia on Linux or Max on OS X (which is based on cdparanoia). Otherwise, you will end up with beautifully preserved clicks and pops where the player skipped and iTunes' lousy ripping failed to catch it, its bogus "error-correction" option notwithstanding.

 

[uzziah]

Quote:

Originally Posted by sidewinder 2nd

uh.........and your external dac is.............

 

[cmirza]

fewtch: Good Reason.

 

[Elephas]

Quote:

Originally Posted by majid Lossless is necessary, but not sufficient. You also need a good secure ripper like EAC on Windows, cdparanoia on Linux or Max on OS X (which is based on cdparanoia). Otherwise, you will end up with beautifully preserved clicks and pops where the player skipped and iTunes' lousy ripping failed to catch it, its bogus "error-correction" option notwithstanding.

I've compared rips using EAC to wav vs. iTunes to ALAC. I don't hear much difference between them, if at all.

I've also compared the iTunes ALAC files to the original CD playing through the same DAC and to wav files playing through foobar 0.8.3. They sound very similar, and none have any clicks or pops.

 

[C38368]

Quote:

Originally Posted by fewtch How about just wanting to turn off and get away from computers while listening to music... it's as simple as that to me, really. That's why I dropped out of the "PC as transport" crowd. I wanted to separate music listening as an activity from using computers, because inevitably I will get distracted by something happening on a PC and the music turns into a background activity, resulting in much less enjoyment. And it was worth it to me to go back to the "inconvenience" of CDs, which turned out to be no great inconvenience in the end.

I have a computer whose sole purpose is to serve music. From that standpoint, it is exactly like sitting down next to a stationary rack complete with disc player, DAC, amp and whatever else.
No distractions, no disc swapping. And if you're like me (somewhat random on listening habits) there's no need to go dig out that one CD that you just really have to listen to right now.

As for myself, everything I own is ripped to FLAC. That is subsequently copied and transcoded into MP3 format (LAME VBR, 192-320kbps) for use with my Karma. Can't say I can tell a difference between said MP3 and FLAC on the Karma, so it works for me.
I know I can hear the difference between at least 160kbps MP3 and lossless on most of my music on my computer, though. Big difference. Bad difference.

 

[Bones13]

I like the idea of having your music collection easily kept, and backed up. I don't have to spend special care to my CD collection, which has been ripped, and then stored. I also can carry an external disk with my music and set up for listening anywhere, and have all of the music.

For those that don't want to mess with a computer at rest, then having a squeezebox in your listening room will still allow you to access all of your music.

Of course, harkening back to the vinyl days, some folks find their relaxation with cleaning, and organizing their albums (to use an old word) as much as listening. This practice continues with CD's.

I am still working on being an audiophile. I have read reviews of external DACs though on the audiophile websites, and many of the audiophile reviewers comment that they are seriously considering moving their digital collections to a PC based system.

When considering serious listening to computer based music, be sure to factor in your PC/MAC noise, by either having a quiet unit, or having it removed from your listening area.

 

[Oliver :)]

Quote:

Originally Posted by miTunes75 I am purchasing a mac this summer and am strongly considering encoding everything in apple lossless.

Be sure to check out iVolume once you have it. The latest version integrates even better with iTunes than before. Really, really worth the little money it costs. If you have a WLAN or Bluetooth equipped mobile device (phone, Palm, PPC) you will also want to have a look at Salling Clicker for your remote controlling pleasure. I will get it once the Sony Ericsson P990 is out & in my hands.

I rip to ALAC exclusively, all music is stored on an external 400GB drive, and I plan to stack up a second one later this year, just as a backup for the first one since it takes *forever* to rip all those CDs. I have an ok DAC hooked up to the Mac and a nice DAC hooked up to the big rig fed via AirPort Express. I would not want to be without it anymore. Once you discover the versatility and convenience of PC-audio there is no way back.

 

[skudmunky]

I rip the original CD twice, once to FLAC and once to VBR Mp3 using LAME, Quality 0 (highest), 192kb/s min 320 kb/s max. Mp3 is for portable, FLAC is for home PC use. Now I just need a new hard drive to store lossless albums when I start buying more.